


His to Keep

by NewAgeAlice



Series: His to Keep Series [1]
Category: Rick and Morty
Genre: Alien!Reader, Angst, F/M, Fluff, I'm Bad At Tagging, Photographer Reader, Slow Burn, Unhealthy Relationships, Whatever I don't judge, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-31
Updated: 2017-09-25
Packaged: 2018-12-22 08:24:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 19,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11963508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NewAgeAlice/pseuds/NewAgeAlice
Summary: As a photographer in Arestis of Strayx 6, your life isn't exactly eventful. You have routines, you stick to them, and you dream your fanciful dreams when you're alone. Otherwise, you've accepted what your life has become. But when two mysterious...aliens? show up while you're on the job, you recognize an opportunity, and hesitantly take it.





	1. Portal Dreams

**Author's Note:**

> This is not only my first Rick and Morty fic, but this is also my first work ever posted here! So, please bear with me while I figure everything out. Tags will probably be added as I continue to write (who plans? Not me. I wing it.) I also do absolute no editing before posting it, and will instead re-read it once I can see the full format, then edit. I'm a monster. Oh, well.

Sitting at your kitchen table, you quietly watched as the morning light infiltrated your house though the windows, painting your world in shades of lavender. You soaked in the warmth, lifting your coffee mug to your lips in the peaceful calm of a morning not yet begun. This time was always your favorite; the time just before the world woke and began it's standard hustle and bustle, when you were woken to appreciate the smallest things before you also started your day.

A paper boy on his route crept lazily down the street, signalling the end of your serene meditation. You drained your cup, placed it in the sink, and returned upstairs to begin your preparations.

A half an hour later, you tottered down the stairs dressed for work; a business casual ensemble designed with professionalism and functionality in mind. Your range of motion wasn't limited, and your shoes were practical, matching your profession entirely.

With your Canon EOS DSLR camera in hand, you left the house at a leisurely pace, the world of small-town photography waiting patiently for you to arrive.

~~  


You had tried many times to convince yourself that you were content with taking pictures of mediocre flora and fauna bordering the outskirts of your town, Arestis. But when you were left to your own thoughts and gave in to your fanciful dreams, the plants in your world were not the subjects of your photos. You dreamed of capturing images of the mystical, unknown pieces of the universe, locking each peculiar happening into a tangible, memorable form. 

As you framed up a Nocsis Tassle, a dark red blossom with thorn tipped petals, you let out a meek sigh. Your life, your town, and, hell, even the entire planet probably couldn't afford you your whimsical dreams. Your camera snapped the picture, whirring and clicking, while the startled flower folded it's petals in against itself. Sliding the camera back into it's sleeve, you turned to make your way back towards your car, done for the day. With well over a dozen pictures of the forever encroaching plant-life of the surrounding wasteland, you figured it was safe to return to the relative semblance of society.

You packed your things into the back of your car, settled behind the wheel, and threw it in to reverse. You were backing into a turn, ready to floor it towards the town, when a bright flash of light caught the corner of your eye. You whipped your head towards the light, slamming on the breaks, just as an electric, thunder-like sound reached you.

As you sat in shock, you took in the sight of an anomaly disrupting the vegetation to your far left. A corrosive green vortex churned in the middle of the world, flashing small lights of blinding white as it shifted constantly. Seconds passed before you shot into action, digging your camera out from behind you. It booted up slowly, earning an exasperated groan from you while you grew impatient. Finally, as the screen came to life, you threw yourself, and the lens, back towards the vortex.

You held the camera up, quickly zooming in, only to catch the tail end of white cloth and a white sneaker pass through. You snapped a picture, just as the swirling green swallowed both, and collapsed into nothing. You continued to stare at the empty screen of your camera, carefully watching the place the vortex had just been, silent for a full minute after it disappeared.

_What the actual fuck_ , your thoughts mumbled in shock. Your eyes listed to the door handle as you considered getting out to poke around the area, but you quickly decided against it, shaking your head to yourself.

With an unusual calm and sense of finality, you powered down your camera, set it in the passenger seat with reverence, and resumed your return to civilization.

~~  


You had forced your mind to remain blank during the drive home, even going so far as to remain calm while you brought your equipment inside. As soon as you settled everything in it's proper place, you stood in the door way of the kitchen, staring silently at your camera glaring at you from the table.

_You're going to have to look at the pictures, you know that. You have to email the...normal ones to Miss Corbett. Stop staring at it like it's possessed and just do what you have to. We'll deal with the other picture afterwards_ , you scolded yourself.

With a swipe, you grabbed the camera, retreating to your office; while your computer went through the motions of starting up, you plugged in the camera. You settled yourself into the chair, sorting through all of the images you had collected that day and compiling them into a neat email. Before sending it off, you hastily typed a simple message about the pictures, choosing to omit the absurd event.

With work out of the way, you set to work on the task at hand. You pulled up the last image, the one of the vortex, and studied it carefully. You enlarged the image, focusing on the flashes of white that had melted into the center. 

The closer that you looked, the more it became clear that the cloth and sneaker were actually two different people, as opposed to a single entity, or simply scraps of abandoned clothing. That was all the information that could be gleaned from a single image, aside from the perplexing fact of the vortex itself.

You couldn't wrap your mind around it. Obviously someone, or something, had been able to travel through it, though you were not privy to the information of how, or where, they traveled. With a huff of frustration, you shut your computer down, and stalked off to finish your nightly routine.

~~  
“R-rick?”

“Wh-what Morty?”

“I think someone s-saw us..”

“Oh-oh shit, Mo-oo-rty.”


	2. Belching and Afraid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're a repeat offender, and this time you're caught.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've updated the tags a tad bit.

The next morning, when you woke, you decided to forgo your usual routine of meditating in favor of getting a head start on your work. As you scrambled out of the house, wearing your uniform once again, you couldn't help but feel the stirrings of anticipation building beneath your ribs.

It was a relief to find that your task for the day was to photograph vague, artistic images of the empty out-lands for a radical publication. According to Miss Corbett, the article would detail “the devastation and dangers of the gene Encladus 426”.

You rolled your eyes, smiling a little to yourself. The people of Arestis didn't often bring attention to the Federation's manipulation of genes. When they introduced Encladus to the local plant life, they hadn't anticipated the aggressive traits that they would come to possess. When the Federation realized that your town, once much larger, was being consumed by the genetically modified plants, they had left the entire community to fend for itself and took their experiments elsewhere. While the people were mostly quiet about the events of Encladus, every now and then, a rouge would surface to publish planet-wide articles detailing it. They largely went unnoticed.

You had to admit to yourself that while you felt that focusing on something so ignored was futile, you were also excited; such a job would allow you to return to the place you had witnessed the vortex. With an smug dismissal from Corbett, you hurriedly made your way to the edge of town.

~~

After a few hours of capturing the kind of images you felt were expected for the article, you were ready to revisit the area you were now calling “The Nocsis Anomaly”. As your day had wore on, your anticipation had grown, leading you steadily back in the direction of the area, and as you made a direct path, your hands began to tremble. You were eager, in a way that you hadn't been in years, you discovered.

Your return was lackluster, leaving you with a feeling of slight disappointment. You confirmed that you were in the correct area, yet nothing seemed to be different. You exited your car, meticulously studying the undergrowth near the place of the anomaly.

The grass had been ripped from the ground, flattened and mottled with rot discoloration. The surrounding area appeared as though a shock-wave had blasted through, leaving the barren soil scattered. The smell of charred greenery assaulted your nose, clouding your mind with confusion.

_Why am I still smelling this?_ You wondered, a sense of trepidation filling you as your hand began to tremble further. You squatted, moving your hand out towards the debris. Time seemed to shutter to a screeching halt within your mind as you felt the heat emanating from the clusters of soil.

_This is fresh._

You raised your eyes slowly, a gasp dying in your throat as your gaze fell on movement in the grove adjacent from you. As you watched, pale hands shoved a short, brown haired boy into view, causing him to stumble and crash onto his face.

You remained shock-still, your wide eyes staring at him. He wore a blindingly bright t-shirt, blue jeans, and white sneakers. Somewhere, in the back of your mind, you recognized them as the ones that had been consumed by the vortex.

“A-ah, jeez, did you have to do that?” He accused the trees behind him. On the wind, you could make out an muffled reply, followed by what sounded like a belch. You could vaguely feel your face shifting to an incredulous look as the boy shot an indignant look back towards the grove, before turning to you.

“H-hi, uh...m-my name is Morty, and, uh...were you here yesterday?” He stammered, seeming to be just as uncoordinated with his words as he was with his body. Before you could respond, a long, drawn out groan came from the trees.

“G-god damn-erp-it, you moron! Don't fucking tell it your naaaaame!” A rough, clearly male voice scolded. The boy (Morty?) responded by looking truly ashamed, casting his eyes downward as he muttered apologies.

“G-gotta do, gotta....gotta get all the sh-shit done myself!” The voice bellowed, as the trees began to thrash with movement. You cast another glance at the boy, who continued to look more and more ashamed, before staring in disbelief at the trees.

A sudden pressure on your throat stole the breath from your lungs as something smooth and cold was pressed to your temple, “D-d-euugh-don't fucking move, or I'll blow your brains out.”

Ice filled your veins as you willed your heart to stall it's pounding. With a glance down, you recognized the stark white of a sleeve; whoever was behind you had their arm around your neck, pressing on your throat.

“D-d-do you really have to do that, Rick? She doesn't s-seem like a threat..”

“A-are you kidding me, Morty?! We're in Fe-federation te-terr....Federation territory! This thing could literally f-fuck my shit up, Morty!”

“Honestly, it doesn't even look like the Federation occupies this side of the planet, Rick.”

“You really don't under-understand what's happening here, Mo-oo-rty, stop saying my f-uu-cking name!” Suddenly the cool metal was removed from you, pointing instead at the boy in front of you. You took this moment to steal a quick look at the arm holding what appeared to be some kind of alien weapon. A sleeve of white cloth covered a thin arm, steadying a pale, unwavering hand.

“Th-the Federation hasn't been to this area in years; they left us to survive their experiments.” You managed to whisper, your voice shaking.

“See? I told you!” The boy exclaimed, his somber expression dissipating.

“W-well, that's just fucking peachy, but that..that still..that leaves one issue,” The voice began.

Suddenly you were being turned, so quickly that you had to stumble just to keep your footing. A hand still clutched your shoulder, holding you immobile at arms length away. You took in the creature before you.

He was a pale man, both tall and incredibly thin; he wore a white lab coat, blue shirt, and brown pants. His hair was a shocking faint blue, spiked in a halo around his head. His scent hit you immediately, a musky aroma of spirits, sweat, and slight aftershave. 

Finally, your eyes found his face, and you were greeted with a crazed grin dripping with an unknown liquid on one side.

“Wh-who are you and, and...and why were you taking pi-pictu-eugh-res of us? What the fuck did you see?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm begging for some kind of criticism, guys. Are the chapters too short? Too long? Is the story pace too slow? Too fast? Am I writing Rick wrong? Or Morty? Correct my spelling, my grammar, my tenses, anything. I want to write the best fanfiction that I can for you.


	3. Prisoner of Rick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are going badly, so, so badly, and now you're a prisoner on some foreign planet. One of your captors is kind, the other seems unhinged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My name is Alice, Spellcheck is my editor, and this is going to have _so_ many chapters.

The gun was trained on you again, making your throat tighten in fear while the man's hand held you in place. You shifted your eyes to the side, swallowing hard to speak, “I'm a photographer for Arestis, the town over there,” you gestured vaguely in the direction of the town limits, “I was taking pictures for a local publication company, and I didn't see anything.”

The older man glared at you with a squint, his broad uni-brow furrowed in suspicion. After a few seconds, he wrenched his hand brutally, giving you a hard shake, “I don't believe that for a go-ooo-d damn second. Y-you sure you didn't get any pictures of shit you shouldn't have?”

You felt your face betray you as you blanched guiltily at his question. You abruptly remembered that your camera, containing the condemning photo, was nestled in the back seat of your car, safely concealed by absolutely nothing other than Rick's apparent focus on yourself.

“Wh-errr-e the fuck is it?” He barked, giving you another rough shake. Your eyes barely flicked towards your car for a second, before the man was in motion, pushing you backwards to propel him even farther forward. He sprinted towards your vehicle as you fell to the ground, quietly swearing at yourself for giving yourself away.

“Oh boy,” Morty groaned as his companion started tearing through your front seat, before he grabbed the camera from the back. He wandered back towards you both as he powered it up, smirking.

“You got, got any naughty pics in here, sw-sweetheart? I'll consid-erp-er it a fee for v-voyeurism,” He suggested with a sleazy cough of a laugh. You're face turned scarlet, while you stammered out a denial as quickly as you could.

Morty's hands were covering his face as he blushed furiously, obviously just as uncomfortable with the comment as you were, “Jeez, Rick.”

A sound of smug pleasure came from Rick as he got the camera to cooperate with his tinkering. You knew he had found the picture, you knew that he would catch your lie, and you knew there would be consequences; what you didn't know was what they would be.

Rick studied the image for a few moments, before sauntering confidently towards you, lazily tossing the camera to Morty, who barely managed to catch it before it hit the ground, “S-so, you lied to me, you photo-photograph...took pictures of us, and y-you're claiming that the Federation doesn't visit this sh-shit hole?” He had that smirk again, the one full of smug menace. You felt it best not to speak, lest you should incite his anger further.

He stood above you now, posing an intimidating figure. He held his hand out to you, but instead of finding his palm open to help you up, he held a strange set of bindings, “F-fuck it. Morty, we're taking her b-eugh-ack with us.” He knelt down, slapping the cuffs around your wrists with speed that surprised you.

Morty made a sound of frustrated acceptance, throwing his hands up in defeat, “Fine, Rick, but I really don't think that's necessary.”

Reaching between your wrists and hauling you up, Rick lead a quick stride, leading you into the grove. Morty followed behind at a begrudging pace, obviously upset with the turn of events.

You tried to pull free, to explain that you could not go with them to...wherever, but the only response you received was a sharp tug and a shushing from Morty. As you walked, the undergrowth of the grove clung and attacked you, snagging on your clothing, hair, and feet, causing you to fumble. Rick gave no indication of slowing, instead he merely stopped without warning a few yards into the trees.

Without any theatrics, he pulled a medium-sized electronic device from his pocket, pointing it, and it's glowing green dome, towards a relatively bare spot. With the press of a button, an vortex opened up, blasting the ground beneath it. You recoiled immediately, pulling Rick by extension.

“H-hey! Relax sweetheart, it's not some kind of bomb, i-it's just a damn portal!” 

Morty placed a reassuring hand on your shoulder, gently urging you forward, “It's okay, it won't h-hurt you or anything.”

Your heart was slamming into your rib cage as you watched Rick enter the “portal”. His pace was quick, and in a matter of seconds, you were passing through it as well.

The sensation was short, yet extremely odd; passing through felt similar to being immersed in body temperature water. Your body felt heavy, weighed down with the viscus portal for only a second, before you emerged on the other side. Your eyes, once shut against the passage, now opened.

A cobalt sky greeted you, peppered with glittering specks of white. The air tasted of iron, toxins, and human occupation. Your senses were as assaulted as your brain was by the shock of shifting entire planets.

“Where are we?” You choked out, trying to steady your frenzied nerves; your body was shifted as Morty clashed into you.

“We-euuggh-we're not in Kansas anymore, Toto,” Rick belched in response, his smirk firmly in place again while Morty groaned.

“What?” You asked, entirely baffled by his response. His hand lifted, rubbing down his face as he turned his eyes skyward in annoyance.

“It-it's not Strayx 6, that's all you need to know.”

You were pulled along behind Rick as he entered an open garage cluttered with seemingly unconnected debris, Morty was dismissed with a vulgar warning to not share your presence with anyone, while Rick busied himself with moving a carpet around on the floor.

As the thread-bare piece of cloth was relocated, a hatch was revealed, which your captor opened with ease. You were shoved towards the opening, glancing at Rick with terror.

“You can't keep me here, I have to go back!” You cried, your eyes brimming with tears. You were shoved again, this time forced to begin the decent down.

“I can, I can do whatever I w-want, you little shit. Did you f-forget I have a gun?” As if to remind you, he retrieved the weapon, waving it threateningly towards you, “Down ya go.”

You obeyed, moving haltingly down, until the light winked out and you were surrounded in shadows.

_Oh, shit._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this one is a little bit later than the others, had a busy day. As always, please let me know what you think!


	4. The Bad and The Drunk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rick shows you that he's capable of intimidating everything within arms reach, before also showing you that he's a raging, irresponsible drunk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote most of this while drunk, so, please, forgive me if anything is amiss. I began this chapter as soon as I posted the last.

In a blind panic, you turned around, intent on making your way back up, even if it meant dealing with your captor's anger; but as you did, the very man in question rocked you back on your heels with a startled grunt. Firm hands steadied you, while he chuckled, “S-settle...slow down there, champ.”

Light flooded the area, rendering you blind with it's brightness once again. You let out a yelp as you recoiled into the very man you had been trying to escape.

“Getting cozy w-with me a-aaalready?” He whispered in a lewd husk. However, he gently, and quickly, put space between your bodies. You jerked yourself even farther from him in a surge of rage, glaring at him with malice.

“You wish, old man,” you spat.

“If you think that f-flattery will get you anywhere, you're w-wrong.” He slurred in return, moving closer to guide you towards the center of the room. Your anger drained as your eyes found a lone chair, adorned with shackles. Terror renewed itself in place of your anger, causing you to flail yourself as you desperately tried to avoid ending up in that chair.

Rick must have noticed your shift of moods, because he began to push you forward with more force. Despite putting all your efforts into backtracking, it was only moments before you were thumped into the offensive thing, the binds snapping quickly into place automatically. 

“N-now, who did you tell about that p-picture?” Rick questioned, looming above you. 

“No one, I swear!” You started, beginning to panic again, “I don't have anyone to tell!”

“Oh, boo-eurrrg-hoo, princess!” His gun made an appearance once more, shifting around for show, “Your pity p-party is weak!”

You seethed at his words, struggling against your bonds, “You're obviously a smart man, don't you have some way of figuring out whether or not I told anyone?!”

Rick pressed in close, his whiskey breath rolling in waves across your skin, “You b-bet your ass I am a smart man, darling. T-the smartest man in the Galaxy!” The barrel of the gun was now pressed to your forehead as he spat his words, “And I _could_ figure out a way to tell if you're lying, except I alr-already know you are!”

You flinched, turning your head away from the foremost dish of the futuristic gun, tears finally forming in your eyes.

“Go back to my planet! Look through my house, and my computer! I swear I didn't tell anyone what I saw, or show anyone the picture! I-I'll tell you the address and give you the key! It's in my left pocket!”

Rick quickly fished the key out, nudging you with the gun until you recited your address. He wore a mask of smug triumph, leaning down to place a soft, sloppy kiss on your head before withdrawing the gun, “Thanks, princess, I-I'll leave you here to think about what you've done. B-but, if you're lying,” Rick paused.

A red-hot bolt of energy shot from the gun, demolishing a random bit of equipment on a nearby counter. You sobbed, finally, the terror outweighing your shock.

“T-that'll be you.” He finished, before belching loudly and exiting the underground bunker.

~~

Hours seemed to pass as your head lolled on your shoulders, drifting into random fits of dazing before your surroundings were remembered. As your mind returned to the forefront for the millionth time, you lifted your eyes to see the strange boy descending from the entrance of the lair.

“H-hi, Y/N...” He greeted nervously, keeping his distance while also examining you closely for any injuries, “are...are you alright?”

You gazed at him through half-lidded eyes. Your terror and anger had worn off long ago, leaving you instead with a sense of finality; you knew you wouldn't be returning home soon, and so you accepted your lot, “I'm as well as I can be, I suppose.”

“I-I'm sorry about Grandpa Rick, he-he's not exactly the most trusting person,” Morty began, cut off by your sharp laugh.

“No shit. I, personally, found him to be quite charming,” You remarked sarcastically. Morty adopted a look of thorough embarrassment, filling you with regret.

“I-I know,” He whispered, sighing deeply before looking at you directly, “J-just don't fault him _too_ much. He's....well, he has some trouble with the entire universe.” Having said his piece, the boy retreated back into the unknown above.

~~

Not long after, Rick entered the bunker. He staggered about, knocking things amiss as he approached you. You turned your face away from him as he stood before you, the dribbling liquid more evident beneath his mouth.

“Y-you were fucking...f...you were right. Not a damn, not a single w-weuuuurg-word spoken.” He accused, placing a mostly empty bottle of alcohol on a counter top.

You tried to vocalize a confused apology, only to be interrupted by him appearing close to you.

“D-don't say you're sorry. Y-you knew you were innocent,” He whispered, his eyes glazed over as he looked beyond you. He was silent for a few moments before seeming to recall his intent, leaning over to unbind you.

His expression was surprisingly blank, as though he had schooled himself on how to appear so; he pulled a cot from a panel in the wall.

“You can rest...y-you can....you can sleep here.” He muttered, inebriated beyond the point of recognizing you.

You quickly moved to the thin gurney provided, eyeing the man with suspicion and confusion. The smell wafting off of him made it obvious that he was drunk, though you failed to know the label on the bottle.

With a large amount of effort noticed by you, Rick tried to make his way out of the bunker, his stumbling producing a racket while he continued to whisper “shh, shh”s to himself.

After a comical amount of time merely observing his fumbling, you stood, moving to assist him.

“Are you wasted right now? _Seriously?_ ”

“F-fuck you, sweetheart, the Federation wants my d-dick on a platter,” He slurred, “and you just ha-happ....you have evidence of...me...trespassing...” His words trailed off as he became dead weight in your arms, unconscious from the drink.

You rolled your eyes, surprised at the irresponsibility of the man who had taken you hostage, yet moved him carefully to the cot he had laid out for you. You putted about after settling him, searching for a similar hidden panel, before ascending from the underground hatch.

You were relieved to find that the garage door had been closed, and even more so to discover that your captor had a cot of his own. With a feeling of shocked repulsion, you settled in for the night, concern for the next morning plaguing your mind.


	5. Federation Eviction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meeting the family goes about as well as you expected; going home did not. Staying on this foreign planet seems to be the only option for now, and Rick doesn't seem to give a shit either way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this took forever, but here's your fix, enjoy the garbage fire.

Waking up was disorienting. Light blinded you, jerking you from your uncomfortable sleep and forcing you to cover your face as you tried to adjust.

“Who the hell are you?” A female voice asked, the tone just as incredulous as you felt. Rubbing the sleep from your eyes, you sat up, cracking your eyes a sliver. Across from you, holding the door open, an older blonde woman stood. You furrowed your brows as you tried to get a grasp of your surroundings, only to be body-slammed with the reality of your situation.

“Are you hungover?” She followed, her voice dripping with frustrated resignation. She seemed to have dealt with that exact scenario many times. Your mind was sluggishly trying to catch up to everything around you, including this woman before you.

“N-no, I'm just...just trying to gather my thoughts,” You stammered, leaning over to press your hands to your face, “the past day has been...hectic.” The woman shifted uncomfortably, glancing around the garage.

“Well...come inside, have some breakfast. When my father wakes up he can sort this out,” She offered hesitantly. With a grateful nod of your head, you agreed, standing and following her.

The interior of the house was beautiful, simply decorated in a way that strongly contrasted the slap-dash disarray of the garage. It was difficult to believe that the two areas were connected only by a door.

As Rick's daughter began setting the table for the morning meal, she introduced herself as Beth, and explained that besides herself and her father, there were two children; Summer, her eldest daughter, and Morty.

As she chattered away, you grew more and more perplexed by her being Rick's daughter. She was mostly pleasant, though quite headstrong and independent, while your captor was a man who was rude and not entirely sane. How he had fathered a woman such as Beth escaped you.

“But anyways, what about you? Are you from around here?” Beth asked suddenly, turning her attention to you after each plate had been filled with food.

“Beth, honey, I see you've m-met my friend,” You turned to find Rick standing in the threshold of the room, complacent in his smooth lying to his daughter, “She's f-from a different planet, sweetheart.”

The contrast of his kind words to his daughter and the harsh words delivered to both you and his grandson was startling, though you tried to smooth your expression into a benign agreement.

Both Morty and his sister arrived at the table not long after; Summer was a standard teenage girl, preoccupied with her cell phone and oblivious to the rest of the family. Morty looked slightly surprised to see you sitting at the table, but quickly regained his nonchalant expression.

The meal concluded without event, despite the tension of a new participant. As everyone shuffled off to their respective tasks, Rick gave you a pointed look that made it clear that you were to follow him. You thanked Beth for breakfast, then trailed behind him back to the garage.

“I-I'm sending you back,” He began, rummaging around the garage distractedly. He seemed to locate what he was searching for, turning his full focus to you, “T-that picture is gone, th-though.”

You felt your heart jump, sweat gathering in your palms as you realized your return home was imminent, “That's alright, I just want to go home.”

“T-then let's get this shit d-done. I have things to do.” A portal flared into existence beside him without warning, and he impatiently gestured for you to go ahead of him. You complied, stepping into the tepid fluid.

You stepped out to crowded skies, and your mouth fell open as you stared silently at your world, sensing Rick settle behind you.

“Are you f-fucking kidding me,” Rick swore, taking in the full scope of the Federation's arrival. Their ships littered the evening sky, filling the air with flashes of light. Before you could register the terror filling your veins, Rick was dragging you back through the portal, slamming the neon green gate closed with a press of a button.

You stumbled into the garage, clenching your fists as you regarded Rick with a horrified gaze, “Why is the Federation back? They left us for dead. Why would they come back?”

He grumbled as he quickly wiped the visit from his portal gun's history, “I-I'm gunna say that that Feds have all of your computers tapped. As soon as you plugged your little camera in, sweetie, th-they knew I had been there.” 

You gaped at him, holding your hands out in a beseeching manner, “Why does the Federation want you so bad, Rick? What kind of monster are you?” You asked accusingly, your temper flaring as horror coursed through you.

He glanced towards you, his face a mask of disinterest while he fiddled with his portal gun, “I-I've done just about everything you can think of, a-and a lot...a million other things you can't.”

You paced the garage, nervous energy wafting off of you as you tried to figure out how you would be able to return to your home; surely Federation officials would be swarming your house, and it wasn't as if you could return without an explanation.

After a few moments of trying and failing to formulate a plan, you slapped your hand on the table beside Rick, grabbing his attention.

“How am I ever suppose to go home now?” You spat.

An agitated sigh escaped him as he shifted to look at you fully, “Sorry to burst your b-bubble, but you aren't going h-ho...you aren't going back anytime soon.”

The air rushed from your lungs in a soft, trembling gasp. You felt the tears threaten to fill your eyes as he looked at you with a seriousness that you hadn't seen in him before. He was extremely composed, watching you process the statement with mild annoyance.

“D-don't be so dramatic, going back now would be instant death for you a-anyway.”

_It's his fault. I can't go home because of him._ Your thoughts crept up on you, whispering the words over and over again in a taunting tone. _You can't go home because of him, and he knows that. He doesn't even care._

The sound of your palm striking his face echoed through the small room, startling both of you as his head jerked to the side. You trembled with fury, your skin felt like it was crawling with absolute hatred. His face was a mask of blank shock.

“I can't go home because of you, and you don't give a shit. You _are_ a monster, Rick.”

He leveled you with a sharp, unflinching look of apathetic anger, “T-tell me something I don't know, princess.”


	6. Down and Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your will is shaken, but you're not ready to lay down and accept things. When you make a stand, things boil over, and you discover a side of Rick you scarcely believe could even exist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title has been changed, to something I find honestly suits this piece better.

The days following your single trip back to your planet were a blur of emotions; Rick continued with his life while you sat, suffering, because his mere presence had decimated yours. You quickly formed a routine that served only to keep your distance from your kidnapper.

In the morning, you'd eat breakfast with the family, which occasionally included a man named Jerry who was apparently Summer and Morty's father. Throughout the day you would either stay close to Beth for company, or cautiously venture outside of the house. On your very first trip out, you had been shocked to find the daylight to be a lovely shade of gold, rather than your planet's somber shade of purple.

After the hours of the day had dwindled away, you returned for dinner, then quickly sequestered yourself away in the underground bunker, choosing to avoid Rick rather than wander the night away. The man had taken to properly sleeping in his own cot, and while he was frequently drunk, he didn't approach you again as he had the first night.

As the days passed, you felt yourself giving into the routine you had created for yourself, and your fight draining away. Your anger was still tangible, but not so overpowering to drive you to fits of rage while you were alone at night. Realizing that your anger was morphing into defeated resignation, you were distraught.

_How can you get comfortable here? This isn't your home, this is some sick man's family._ Your thoughts chided, flooding you with dormant anger and shame.

_His fault. His fault. He did this, and you're dealing with all the consequences._

You could hear him snoring from above; he was likely passed out again. He seemed to only snore when he got very drunk, and when he did it was impossible to not hear it. _His fault._ Your knees trembled as you stood from your cot. You were moving without thought, climbing out of the bunker and hovering a few feet away from his sleeping form.

He was sprawled out on the cot, face up, and snoring even louder. One of his hands barely grazed the ground while alcohol dribbled from the corner of his mouth.

Next, you were standing above him, looming just as he had; you didn't remember moving, or even deciding to. He didn't shift, didn't seem to notice your presence in his alcohol-induced slumber. Your hands lifted, twitching subtly as you leaned over him. Your fingers were claws, poised over his throat.

_His fault._

Time seemed to slow as your fingers brushed his skin, pressing softly to his throat at first, then more firmly. The tips of your fingers on both hands overlapped, your thumbs finally digging in.

“This is your fault,” You muttered, “I hate you, Rick.”

His eyes flashed open quickly, and despite the fact that he was clearly more than capable of disarming you without a thought, he relaxed as soon as he took in his assailant. He didn't say a word, just watched you carefully as you continued to put pressure on his throat.

“Fight back, you piece of shit, do something,” You whispered. A small wet spot was gathering on Rick's face below you, filling until it dripped down his cheek; your breathing shuttered and you realized that you were crying. Tears slipped from your face onto his, and he made no indication that it bothered him.

Instead, he stared at you still, his eyes half-lidded, his mouth turned down in a slight frown; your fingers continued to try to hurt him, but he wasn't winded or bothered.

Your knees gave out, and you dropped to the floor; your fingers released his neck and rested simply on the cot beside him. Your tears overtook you, wracking your body with sobs as you clutched the frame of the bed for support.

“I-I can never go back, I can't ever go home,” you whimpered, “there isn't anywhere for me to go except to stay here, where I don't belong.” Your sorrow eclipsed your anger, bringing a fresh flood of tears streaming down your face, “There's nothing for me anymore, nothing.”

Cold hands brushed along your shoulders, gently pulling up onto the cot. Rick shifted to the side, coaxing your body into the fetal position against his side. He still made no sound, didn't speak, but rested his arms in an oddly comforting embrace around you.

“W-why....why did you do this to me?” You mumbled, your tears staining his thin blue shirt.

“I don't know,” was all he said.

~~~

You awoke alone on the cot, curled in on yourself; Rick was gone. Standing up hastily, you retreated into the main house, seeking Beth's insistent chatter to distract you from the night before.

You found her quickly, slipping into your routine as if nothing had changed, and made a show of listening to her speak. However, not long after, you heard the telltale sounds of Rick returning. Various bangs and tinny sounds came from the garage that you had just vacated, and where you two had shared...something.

You shook your thoughts away, setting your mind to your routine and brushing away the lingering confusion of the man outside. 

It worked, for the most part.

~~~

Many times throughout the day, you found yourself passing the open door of the garage; as you did, you couldn't help but glance in.

Rick was bent over his workbench, his brow furrowed deeply as he focused. He squinted his eyes while he snatched a screwdriver from the table beside him. 

You had moved along quickly then, choosing not to dwell too long for chance of becoming preoccupied with his machinations. Making your way to the front door, you were intercepted by Morty, who looked just as uncomfortable as he always did. “H-hey, Y/N, can I talk to you?”

You nodded slowly, glancing back at the garage door just in time to see the door close. Morty looked back, too, with an look of sadness flashing through his eyes, before gesturing for you follow him.

He guided you up the stairs, and into his room, shutting the door softly once you were both inside. Then he turned to face you, looking indecisive as his eyes flitted around the small space.

“I-it's about Rick. He's...well...” he stammered, trailing off into silence while he continued to fret. You were patient, choosing to perch lightly on the edge of his bed, “He's not everything you t-think he is, Y/N.”

You raised a brow slowly, challenging Morty to continue while you struggled to beat down the thought that he _knew_. He couldn't possibly know that while it wasn't anything inappropriate, you had essentially spent the night with his eccentric grandfather.

“H-he's not some kind of...incredibly messed up monster,” He began, his eyes downcast as he fought to defend Rick, “he's not exactly an angel, either, b-but he sure isn't...evil.”

“How exactly is he, then?” You implored, watching the boy carefully.

“Rick is...well, he's selfish, he's rude, he doesn't seem to have a-any kind of conscience at all, but there are m-moments when,” he paused, seeming to struggle with the correct word, “when he shows that there's more to him than that.”

You stared at him, trying to understand exactly what could have made Morty believe that his grandfather was someone worth defending. _You know he has had at least one moment of kindness,_ your inner thoughts pointed out, _And you've only known him for maybe two weeks. Morty has known him longer._

You weren't quite ready to doubt your own opinions of the man, but you tensed as Morty lifted his eyes to yours.

“He hides it well, b-but he's in a lot of pain, Y/N. A-and there's nothing you can think that he doesn't already think of himself.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there's that. Sorry if Rick isn't as kind or tender as you would like, but I'm a firm believer that he's the kind of person who wouldn't waste time on sweet words or overly gentle actions. He's himself through and through, but he's not entirely made of garbage.


	7. Caught Rick Handed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After receiving some very important advice from Morty, you take a day to yourself. However, when the recommended book from Beth turns out to be not-so-appropriate, you're caught in an awkward position.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most of this chapter is what I would consider a "filler" chapter, it's mostly setting everything up for the next few chapters. Took me a while to bust this one out, the lackluster content of it tends to baffle me the most. Enjoy a reference to some erotica, and be prepared; I'm going to try to get the next chapter out today, as well.

“So, what exactly are you wanting me to do?” You asked Morty, shifting uncomfortably with his revelation.

“I-I don't want you to do anything, Y-Y/N, I just,” He let out a sigh of frustration; his own words were escaping him, “I'm not telling you that you can't call him out on his shit. He's not some kind of saint, more along the lines of some super fucked up God, and he deserves to know when he's messed up.” Morty paused, loosely clenching his fists, “But that doesn't mean he's always bad. What happened with you and your planet...i-it was an accident, Y/N.”

You had listened intently, your posture rigid as Morty went out of his way to explain things to you, despite the reckless person his grandfather appeared to be. After he finished, your eyes drifted downwards, settling on the carpet beneath your feet, “I understand what you're saying, Morty, but...how am I suppose to forgive him?” You asked in a whisper, your mind flashing to the memories of the night before.

He smiled a little, then, a small smirk that was just for him as he set his eyes downcast, too, before looking back at you, “I'll tell ya something, Y/N. I-I've been adventuring with Rick for a long time, a-and the first lesson I learned with him is...is that you just have to let things go. Things happen, for no reason, to everyone. Everyone is going to die, and nothing matters. So, you let things go. You l-learn to brush things off. And it gets easier.” His smile was for you, now, and you found yourself smiling back at him, even as your thoughts tried to argue against his statements.

“Thank you, Morty.”

He put his hand on your shoulder briefly before heading towards the door, “N-no problem. Let's go get something to eat.” You stood to follow him, thinking to yourself that while you knew it would be a bit before you could truly let things go, you were capable of doing it. After all, Morty had dealt with Rick for much longer, and he was able to do it.

Following him still, he lead you by the door to the garage; you lifted your hand and gently set it against the frame, before moving on.

~~~

Morty had left you sitting in the kitchen after you both finished off a light snack, citing that he had homework to “attempt” and a girl named Jessica to “woo”. You had chosen to remain, mimicking the cleaning that Beth typically accomplished on a daily basis. As you worked, you practiced the art of “letting go”, ignoring your thoughts of your home.

A loud, drawn out belch came from behind you, signaling Rick's arrival in the room, though his movements made little to no sound. You turned, watching as he entered, his brow shifting subtly as he realized you were in the room instead of Beth.

“I don't sup-po...you don't cook, do y-eeerp-you?” He asked passively, draping himself into a chair at the dining room table. You glanced at him again, tamping down your immediate feelings of anger.

“Yes, I can, though I admit that your planet does have some things I'm not familiar with,” you replied, turning to face him now. He looked entirely comfortable and unimpressed by the world around him; he raised his eyes to meet yours, his boredom evident.

“B-believe you me, this planet has a lot you're not familiar with, a-and that might be a good thing,” he muttered, lifting himself up to begin rummaging through the various cabinets in search of something. He quickly assembled a sandwich, then swaggered out of the room; as he reached the door, he glanced back, eyes blank and yet somehow intense. Then he was gone, disappearing back into the garage.

You spent a moment contemplating the nature of his glance; it held the trademark guarding of his usual expressions, though it had lingered for a moment too long, had held a split-second moment of meaning. Despite the complexity of one look, you surmised it best to leave it be, and carried on; today you had already chosen to spend the day in the Smith's backyard, reading some odd book Beth had given you.

The cover was plain, adorned only in a startling silver tie knot, and not much else. You were hesitant, as Beth had described the book as being “thrilling and best paired with a nice red”, which you didn't quite understand. With the book in hand, you escaped to the lawn behind the house.

~~~

Hours had passed, with your mind both horrified and yet determined to fathom the material discussed in the book; it's plain cover was deceiving, the book seemed to be well-received filth. There had been many moments when you felt yourself entirely uncomfortable, but you pushed through, relying on Beth's recommendation to save the novel.

“H-have you seen Mor-oooor-ty? I need his hel-” Rick began, entering the backyard in a swift stride. He immediately paused upon seeing the book, gaping for a moment before continuing, “Oh, I see, n-need some time to yourself?” He accused with a knowing smirk.

Your face flushed as you nearly dropped the book in surprise, his familiarity with the material giving you a terrible feeling of having been caught doing something inappropriate. “B-Beth recommended this to me, so I thought I'd give-”

“Oh, no need to explain, we-euugh-re both adults, I get it,” He interrupted, that smug smirk digging into your chest like a dagger as he retreated back the way he came. He passed through the door, seemingly to give you your “privacy”, but you abandoned the book to jump up and follow him.

“What did you need Morty f-for?” Your face was still blazing as you spoke, making your throat painfully tight. You swallowed in hope to ease it, but the sound was more audible than you predicted.

“I need him to come with....with me, for science shit.” He replied without turning, though the ghost of his smirk remained along his jaw line.

“I think he's busy right now, b-but if you need someone, I can come with,” you volunteered, stumbling as you desperately tried to keep pace with the admittedly spry man. Rick turned then, approaching you with calculated steps, slowly backing you against the wall behind you. He lifted an arm, placing his palm flat as he hovered above you.

“A-are you a virgin, Y/N?” He purred, his half-lidded gaze boring into your face as your fevered blushing was renewed. Your eyes shifted about, trying to find an escape route, but the proximity of his body prevented you from leaving without brushing against him.

“I-I, uh,” your mind was whirling as you stammered, the violence of your embarrassment rocking your body, “maybe?”

He grinned lewdly, pushing away from the wall as he turned on his heel, “Good. Y-you'll camouflage me j-just as well.” He sauntered towards the garage, not glancing back to see if you followed. Your heart thundered in your ears, sending your stomach into trembling somersaults.

You took a moment to ease your heart rate, before hesitantly following after him, your thoughts warning you to remain on your toes around the man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't hesitate to let me know about typos or grammatical errors, I can only read something so many times before I naturally just pass over them.


	8. Equal Parts Rick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Assisting Rick has it's perks; the unknown Universe can be beautiful. But when you're trying to sleep, and overhear his mutterings, you wonder if maybe there is more beauty than you ever imagined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so...I got body-slammed by writer's block towards the end of this, which is why it's taken this long to get it out, so I'm sorry about that. Also, that'd be why the title sounds incredibly stupid. I just got frustrated and went with it. This is all for today, I've got to let the dumpster fire of my brain rest.

Your third trip through a portal was far less dramatic; Rick had simply pointed the gun at the floor, stepped through, and you had followed. Drifting through quickly, the world was revealed with the vibrant colors of an abnormal, truly alien planet.

You shifted your feet in the lush grass, enjoying the child-like hues of everything around you; you could feel yourself grinning.

“We n-need to go euuuughrp about a mile in this direction,” Rick explained, uninterested in the sights as he began moving towards his goal. You followed behind slowly, taking in the strange wildlife around you.

The grass looked very much like what you were familiar with, but it was consistently thick and vibrant regardless of the climate. The trees, while sparse, were varying colors of reds, blues, and greens. A vast array of creatures seemed entirely oblivious to you and your partner, darting beneath the grass and among the trees.

“Rick, this place is absolutely gorgeous,” You whispered in awe, drawing a bored sigh from him.

“Listen, w-when you've been as many places as I have, planets like this pr-preschool gimmick aren't impressive,” He droned, keeping his pace quick and efficient, “plus, this planet only has one thing.” He fell silent again, leaving you to wonder what the “one thing” was. However, he never continued, and so you left it alone, telling yourself that it would either become clear, or was not something you needed to know.

After a while of following him quietly, you spoke up, “Why are the creatures here so complaisant? Don't they care that we're in their territories?”

His smirk was evident in his voice when he replied, “They aren't complaisant. T-They just can't sense us over your o-overwhelming virgin p-uuurp-purity.” The words were dripping with sarcasm, but rang of truth; you faintly blushed before you admitted that he had at least been honest. “S-stay close now, shit will hit the fan if your sainthood doesn't eclipse my corruption.”

You couldn't help the chuckle that answered his statement, shifting your pace to walk beside him, “So, is that a joke, or does my 'purity' actually mask you?”

“S-six of one and a half dozen of the other,” He replied, glancing into the distance before elaborating, “Ricks have a specific b-brainwave pattern due to our incredib-buuurgh-ble genius, which make us easy to track. We partner with organisms that complement those brainwaves to camouflage us. M-Morty's do a good job of that, though other naive people do a f-fair job.”

You looked at him from the corner of your eye, a small smile playing on your lips, “Isn't it difficult? You know, finding such an incredible amount of innocence to offset your incredible obscenity?” 

He snickered softly, before halting above a recessed pit; his hand shot out to stop you from tumbling forward. Within the pit, many little green pebbles rested, piled on top of each other until a small pool had been made. Electricity arced from rock to rock, humming and emitting a toxic color.

Even this sight was fascinating, but your attention was quickly drawn to Rick; he had pulled a pair of thick rubber gloves from his pocket, as well as bringing around the medium sized canister he had been carrying on his back. He slid the gloves on, popped the top of the container, and began carefully transferring the rocks from the pit into it. 

“What are these?” You asked, watching as he plucked pebble after pebble, amassing well over twenty of the things. He continued to work even as he responded.

“L-let's just say they are very important, and immensely illegal.” His tone was matter-of-fact, leaving no room for continued questioning. Gathering the rocks took a few minutes, and by the end he had accumulated close to forty of them, filling the container to the brim.

“A-alright, that's all we need. Let's h-head back.”

Returning took significantly less time, and once you'd arrived, Rick ushered you back into the main house, soundly closing the connecting door so that he could continue with his project. Looking quickly at the time, you went back outside to collect the odd book, then went to the kitchen to help Beth begin dinner.

~~~

Time dragged on, while you lay on your cot; you had been trying to sleep for hours, unsuccessful due to the racket coming from above. Rick seemed to be struggling with his creations, though not on a large scale. His curses could be heard, as well as what sounded like a marker screeching on a dry erase board. He had started to get frustrated about an hour after you had laid down, and it had continued throughout the night.

Between his swearing and the marker, his low voice reached an incoherent mumble.

_What could possibly be so difficult for him? And is he muttering to himself?_

Rising from the cot, you quietly approached the hatch, cocking your head to listen more closely to his grumblings. You could only make out bits and pieces of his self-talk as he paced the floor of the garage. 

“Federation space...m-move the Cronenbergs...euuuuurp...” He trailed off again, before you finally caught a full sentence, “then she can go home.”

You settled onto the floor, your head resting against your knees while you continued to listen to him ramble on to himself, certain that he would deny all of his efforts if he knew you were listening.

_He's trying to get me home, I think. He's actually putting in effort to give me my home back,_ You thought to yourself, a smile pulling at your lips. You didn't want to linger too much on the thought, but you couldn't ignore the warmth that began to fill your limbs.

Rick's ramblings suddenly cut off, and you sprung into action as silently as you could, making your way to your cot and laying down in an attempt to feign being asleep. He descended from the hatch, but only took a few steps into the room.

Your mind flashed to the last time that he had come to you in the night, when he had been extremely intoxicated; you couldn't help but notice how things had changed since that night. You couldn't move for risk of him discovering how awake you actually were, but he had not moved from the spot, seeming to have no intention to enter further.

His voice was a whisper, almost impossible to hear, probably to avoid waking you and being caught, “I'm...I'm going to fix what I did.” Even as quiet as he was, the words resonated for you, and you tried your best to not hold your breath while he stood there.

It seemed like a long time before he finally turned and left, though it couldn't have been more than a few seconds; you waited until his muttering returned before you opened your eyes against the darkness.

You stared at the ceiling, enraptured by the odd turn of events that one whole day had brought. You had spent days fuming and raging at Rick, but in a matter of hours, he had seemed to shift character completely.

You thought back to all the cruel things you had said, even the threat to his life, and felt your lungs tremble with regret and shame; he had been cruel, too, but now he was trying his damnedest to return you to your planet. His efforts, regardless of whether they were for him, or for yourself, were overwhelmingly kind, and you felt the warmth return to your body again.

Morty had told you that it's important to let things go; but the way you had felt when you first overheard Rick planning to get you home, wasn't a feeling you were willing to forget. And you didn't know if you were even capable of letting it go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, comments, critiques, and corrections are welcome. Also, if you'd like to suggest a different title for this chapter, please do!


	9. The Cronenberg Seduction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rick pulls you along for an admittedly questionable adventure, but things go sideways, and shit gets real.

You were woken the next morning by a jarring shake that sent your teeth clattering in your head. Your eyes shot open while you tried to move away from the source of the shaking, your heart jumping into your throat.

“W-wake up! Morty's in school a-and I need a camouflage!” Rick barked, standing over you. He reached out to shake you again, but you slapped his hands away, quickly sitting up and throwing your legs over the side of the bed to force him to back away.

“Alright, alright, I'm getting up, Rick, damn!” You swore, rubbing your eyes in irritation. You couldn't fathom why the man wanted to bring you along with him again, until the things you'd overheard the night before came back to you. You fought off the blush that threatened to overtake your face, and looked up at the scientist, squinting your eyes against the light, “Do I need to take anything or prepare?”

Rick's restless energy poured out into the room as he darted from one part of the bunker to another, carefully selecting things from various cabinets. He paused for only a moment, carefully placing a gun in your hand, “This is a laser p-pistol. It's similar to the one I ha-eeerp-have, but not as lethal. Don't shoot yourself with it,” he explained quickly while sorting through the pile he had gathered.

You stared at the pistol, trying to comprehend the kind of errand you'd be running with him that would require such a thing. Your consideration was interrupted when Rick made a pleased noise, unearthing the canister of strange rocks from within the pile of junk.

“What exactly are we doing today, Rick?” You asked, glancing back down at the gun in your hand; anxiety began to swell in your chest, your mind wandering to the Federation's occupation of your home. Rick must have seen the flicker of emotions on your face, because he rolled his eyes with a sigh.

“D-Don't get excited, sweetheart, we're just reho-oooming some mutants, nothing exciting,” he explained in a bored tone, slinging the strap of the container over his shoulder. He reached into his pocket, pulling out the portal gun, and immediately opened a vortex within the bunker, “Let's get a moooove on!”

You followed behind him through the portal, stepping from the bright room of the bunker into a world in perpetual gloom. The sky was masked by heavy clouds, giving the streets an eerie atmosphere. Rick continued his stride, as though he had been prepared for the environment to be deserted and apocalyptic.

“What happened here?” You tentatively asked, quickening your steps to remain close to your partner. He walked with confidence, not flinching even when a cacophony rose in the east; he merely shifted his path to head towards the sound.

“An experiment went terribly wrong, a-and caused everyone to mutate,” He said simply, coming to a stop and pressing his back against the side of a brick building. You followed suit, and when he leaned forward to glance around the corner, you did as well. You were not prepared for the sight.

A large group of what you assumed had once been humans milled around near a dumpster, a few of them picking at the garbage; however, they were all monstrous, fleshy conglomerations of various alien pieces. One or two of them had even taken on the composition of mere blobs, with no distinct features aside from their obvious abnormality.

You gasped through your teeth, making a soft hissing sound, and slammed back into the wall. _What kind of experiment could cause something like this? What the hell happened to this place?_ You asked yourself, closing your eyes for a moment until your panic abated. When you opened them again, Rick was against the wall once more; he held his portal gun in one hand, and opened the canister of rocks with the other.

Silence was necessary, so you didn't speak while you watched him; he pulled the glass dome from the top of his portal gun, which then dropped a blackened rock. He placed three of the glowing rocks from the canister within the dome, replaced it on the gun, and then turned towards you.

“L-listen, you gotta...you gotta draw them over here,” He whispered, making you glare at him incredulously.

“Excuse me? Why can't you do it?” You hissed.

Rick shifted with annoyance, shooting you a glance, “C-Can you operate a portal gun?” He countered. You sputtered for a few seconds, before he continued, “No, I didn't think so. Y-you just stick to being bait.”

“So, what exactly am I suppose to do? Offer up my majestic virginity?”

“Just get their a-attention and lead them ov-eeerp-er here.”

You huffed in frustration, but accepted his directions, sliding by him quietly; as you passed across him, his hand lifted to briefly brush your waist, sending shivers down your spine. You gulped, moving as quickly as you could to steel your heart against the feelings.

With a burst of speed, you swept into the street, waving your arms and shouting to grab the attention of the masses. They slowly slid around, setting a disturbing amount of eyes upon you; then they launched themselves toward you. Some were quick, their legs were still intact or had additions, while others were slow and seemed to glide along the asphalt like snakes.

You waited until you could smell them, the musty smell of sweat and over-exposed flesh, then turned on your heel and sprinted back towards Rick. He emerged from the corner of the building, the portal gun held out before him as he fired the first portal; it appeared beneath one mutant, absorbing it from the world.

Rick fired off three more, before he switched out the three mysterious rocks, then continued. As more of the creatures were sucked into another dimension, the remaining group began to frenzy, roaring and advancing more quickly. Rick picked them off in threes, pausing to reload, and then continued to dwindle the numbers until only a few remained.

Unfortunately, the stop and go nature of the plan had allowed the remainders to get uncomfortably close; their smell permeated the air with every breath you took. Rick began to back up, raising his arm to gesture for you to do the same when one of the mutants flew into action.

The wind was knocked out of you as a solid wall of flesh and muscle slammed into your body, hurtling you to the ground with a painful thud. Your head smacked off the pavement, springing tears into your eyes and nausea into your stomach. Pliant skin held you pressed down, depriving you of air and sight. As darkness threatened to overtake you, the muffled sound of a laser firing reached your ears.

Within seconds you heard grunting, and felt the weight of the monster lifted from your chest. You swallowed air as quickly as you could, while your sight gradually returned. Rick was standing above you, having killed the mutant then heaved it from your body.

He held his hand out, taking yours carefully, and pulled you up; the sudden shift filled your vision with stars, and you tumbled forward into his arms. He steadied you carefully, but nothing could prepare you to steady your emotions. Heat flared in your chest, your appreciation flooding your mind and your limbs; rocking forward, your lips met his.

At first the kiss was gentle, no doubt because of catching Rick off guard, but it quickly transformed into something more heavy and passion-filled. His hands gripped your waist while your arms slid around him to grip his shoulders tightly.

 _He's kissing back!_ Your mind screamed, shifting your pulse into overdrive. You held him tighter, pressed in closer, and reveled in the eclipse of warmth.

Rick jerked away from you suddenly, his arms pushing you by the shoulders as far away as he could, his eyes half-lidded and his mouth turned down in a scowl.

“T-This isn't what you want,” He chided, a portal opening behind you; he sauntered towards it, pausing before entering, “And besides, I'm man, euuuurp, man enough to get laid without seducing an alien.”

And then he was gone, disappearing within the portal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoop! There it is.


	10. Make it Hurt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rick has never been one to allow uncertainty fester in those around him. While you're struggling to accept his rejection, he goes further to settle any confusion between you and Morty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is another kind of "filler" chapter, setting up for the big stuff coming up within the next three to four chapters. It's basically giving you the information that will become relevant in the future. Also, sorry if the word count is a little low, had to find a suitable cut off point to properly lead to the next event.

Shame and rejection thrummed in your veins as you followed Rick through the portal, stopping as soon as you returned to the garage. He had already moved to his workbench, sifting through the odds and ends collected there; he took no notice of your arrival, selecting a few small baubles and beginning to assemble them.

Your body ached, the elated heat swallowed up by a cesspool of hurt; even shuffling towards the main house sapped your strength. Pausing at the door, you turned, your pained eyes resting on the uncaring man.

“I...I'm sorry,” You whispered, turning to leave before you could see Rick stiffen, standing up straighter. You could not see it, but his expression briefly flickered to one of pain, of remorse, before assuming the default disinterest.

You wandered aimlessly at first, your emotional fortitude broken and weeping at the seams. Tears sat at the edge of your eyes, but did not fall, seeming to perpetually rest right at your waterline. You stumbled out into the backyard, weakly attempting to distance yourself from the source of the ache in your chest; you knew you had to let it go, put it behind you, just so you could continue on, but for a very short moment you wanted to really experience the feelings, if only to learn a lesson from them.

Sitting on your knees in the close-cropped grass, you cycled through the emotions raging through you; shame for having attempted something so childish, hurt for having tried and being rebuffed, and lastly, anger at Rick's accusation of seducing him. You hadn't seduced him, you thought; at most you had misjudged a few of his words, had looked too hard at some of the things you hadn't been meant to hear.

As you examined the things that you felt, you carefully extracted them from yourself, visualizing them as water slipping through your fingers; each one was released, and while you still felt them, you steeled yourself against them, preventing each one from touching your core. Only a few moments had passed, but your tears had dried, and the ache was gone from you; you had let it all go.

You remained in the backyard, carefully picking at the grass while your mind wandered, until Morty came stumbling into the yard, his face stony and serious.

“Rick said that he'd moved the Cronenbergs. Where did he move them to?” He asked, looking down at you with obvious frustration, “He won't tell me where, but h-he can't just move mutants like that without serious power and consequences!”

You quickly stood up, brushing the grass and dirt from your knees before you approached him, “I don't know where he moved them to, all I know is that he referred to moving them as 're-homing' them,” you explained slowly, trying to ease the frantic energy that Morty held beneath the surface, “and I assume it took a lot of energy, he loaded up that portal gun with a few rocks every few moments.”

Morty shook his head, squinting as he glared back towards the house, “W-What the hell is he trying to do?”

“I don't really know, Morty, but he certainly didn't make it seem as serious as you are right now.”

He looked back at you, relaxing until he stared at you with defeat, “Rule number one of dealing with Rick: if he doesn't want to tell you a small detail of something, it's probably not a small detail, and it's probably very bad.”

Before you could comment on the impending catastrophe of today's adventure, Morty turned and went back to the house, leaving you to either stand alone in the yard, or follow; you chose to follow him. He made a straight path for the garage, throwing the door open with a finality that belied his anger. Rick remained occupied at his workbench, not turning to address anyone properly, “If you're here to apologize again, f-oooo-rget it, I don't give a shit.”

Morty shot you a questioning look, earning an embarrassed shrug from yourself, then returned his attention to his grandfather, “Rick, where did you send the Cronenbergs? And where did you get the portal energy to do it?”

Rick groaned loudly, setting down his project with irritation, “Does it really m-matter, Morty? I could, I could send them to the Fart Dimension and it wouldn't mean anything.” His tone was condescending, indicating that he felt the conversation alone was unnecessary.

“I know enough about you, Rick, to know that you d-didn't send them to the Fart Dimension,” Morty commented with a roll of his eyes, “so where did you send them? You wouldn't move them unless...unless you really wanted to fuck something up, Rick.”

The older man scoffed, his pride overcoming his desire to be vague; he muttered a 'damn right' before picking up his project again, “I-It's none of your business, Morty. And besides, why d-don't you go ask your alien girlfriend about it, may-eeerp-maybe she knows something.” He said pointedly, lifting a screwdriver for emphasis.

It was at that moment that your heart stilled in your chest, your discomfort with the conversation reaching an all time high; you glanced at Morty, tilting your head in the direction of the door to indicate your decision to leave. He nodded, and you backed out slowly, closing the door as quietly as you could.

Standing just outside, you could hear Morty speak up again, the sound hardly muffled by the thin door.

“Is this some kind of...p-plan to help her?” He asked, the soft tone returning to his voice as he pleaded for some kind of reasoning from his grandfather.

The sound of clattering metal on the garage floor echoed from the room; you could practically see the horrified reaction of Rick when he heard Morty's suggestion.

“Y-You know me better than that, Morty. If I'm helping anyone, an-anyone at all, it's gonna be fucking me,” he spat, sounding like he was beside his grandson now, “i-if it seems like I'm doing something for _her_ , know this, it's actually for me.”

You flinched away from the door, feeling the words stab you as they sunk in; the things you had overheard came rushing back, and you began to doubt them. His recent actions led you to believe that perhaps you had overestimated the man, finding empathy where there was none; finding kindness when there was only selfishness.

Shaking off the threat of emotional break down once more, you willed yourself to let this go, as well. You reassured yourself that you had known this information, that it wasn't new; Rick had made his disinterest clear once already, and there was no need to dwell on it.

You turned away from the garage door, making your way towards the kitchen; Beth would be home soon, and she would need help with dinner. Being near her would do wonders for distracting you and keeping you busy.

“Jesus, Rick,” Morty whispered, barely audible through the door as you rounded the corner.


	11. Operation Fuck It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rick initiates Operation Fuck It, the hostile take over of the Federation, bringing you and Morty along. After executing a large amount of living beings, you're left to consider the next step.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where the Graphic Depictions of Violence comes into play. I'm not entirely familiar with writing gore, but I feel like those of you with sensitive stomachs should still be a tad bit weary. Otherwise, please enjoy this action-packed chapter!

Dinner had been a tense, uncomfortable affair, with both you and Morty maintaining a silence that permeated the mood of the entire meal. The only person who seemed to be unaffected by the tension was Rick; Summer and Beth both kept to themselves, sensing the disturbance. The meal ended in a record amount of time, and you shooed Beth away, planning to take care of clean up on your own.

As you went through the motions of clearing the table and washing the dishes, your mind wandered back to the things Rick had said; his complete lack of concern for righting a (albeit accidental) wrong still stung. Your mind grappled with itself, desperately trying to avoid the thoughts while also insisting on bringing them to the forefront. Putting the last dish into the dishwasher, you pressed your hands to your face, willing your composure to surface.

“L-Let's go, sweetheart, we've got some, some bullshit to take care of,” Rick demanded, stumbling through the door while tossing a laser pistol in your direction; Morty followed close behind, determination eclipsing his face.

“What? Right now?” You returned, barely catching the gun as it sailed towards you. You held it at your waist, mimicking the stance of the younger boy while you made to follow Rick towards the garage.

“Y-eeeerp, princess, right now.” A portal appeared just within the garage, and Rick paused, turning to regard both you and his grandson in one move, “This is Operation Fuck It. Don't think about it, just shoot. I-If it looks like it belongs, move on, if it's out of place, shoot.”

You gave Morty a nervous look, but the boy merely nodded, then stepped through the portal after his grandfather; you had no choice but to follow.

Everything was in chaos as you stepped through the other side. The usually purple sky was a blazing brown, shifted by the large amount of fires that ran rampant around your town. You gasped, stepping back for just a moment, only to be halted by Morty.

“If they're Federation, kill them; do what you want with the Cronenbergs,” He recited, clarifying things for you quickly.

A soldier ran towards the both of you, and before you could respond, Morty had fired a single laser, burning a gaping hole through the creature's skull. You stared as it's body went limp and fell to the ground, your mind whirling to grasp the situation.

_We're killing Federation soldiers in my home town. Mutants are present and have caused chaos._

Your hand holding the pistol came up in defensive position, and you followed at Morty progressed into the city; while you couldn't fully understand the mission, you knew in your gut that this was to free your town from the Federation's grasp.

Rick lead your procession, slowing down to keep a better pace with you and his grandson, a larger, more lethal laser gun in his arms. He had an air of seriousness, his finger poised over the trigger for quick action.

More soldiers approached, each one carrying a rifle of their own; they seemed hesitant to fire at first, until they recognized Rick. They raised their weapons, preparing to begin firing. “Surrender Rick C-137 now, and receive mercy from the Galactic Federation,” one Gromflomite shouted.

A hole appeared in his throat, opening up his mandibles and letting a out a flood of inky blood. Your pistol hummed from the shot, making your fingers tingle. Rick glanced at you quickly, a brief look of pride flashing before he and Morty opened fire on the remaining soldiers.

While your procession moved towards the town hall, you took a few spare moments to take in the horror of your surroundings. Entire groups of Gromflomites were being decimated by the mutants; some were dismembered by pairs of flesh creatures, while others were merely suffocated beneath walls of mass. Your own memories of having been bulldozed surfaced, causing you to quickly look away from a single soldier being absorbed into the bottom of stomach-churning mutant.

As you advanced, Cronenbergs and Gromflomites alike attacked, and you took it upon yourself to have no mercy while eliminating them. The smell of cauterizing shots rode the wind, acrid burnt flesh heavy in every direction. You fired a single shot into a mutant, sizzling through it's core as it spread.

Morty remained beside you, with Rick leading the charge, each person covering the blind spots of the others; lasers continued to streak the sky in beams of orange. You carefully stepped over the corpse of a soldier that Rick had ended, lifting your eyes away from the mess of black blood and cinders; you were approaching the hall faster than you had anticipated.

A swift kick opened the main door, revealing absolutely destruction within the building; mutants swallowed up Federation operatives with ease, seeming to have begun their assault at the very heart of the infestation.

“Is this where you sent the Cronenbergs?” Morty called to Rick with awe. His grandfather smirked, lowering his weapon slightly as he nodded back. Your guns were unnecessary at this point, the soldiers were far outnumbered by the mutants and were quickly being disposed of.

The three of you skirted around the battles, overlooked by both parties as they fought on, so consumed with their own desire to survive that none of you registered on their radar. You weren't entirely certain of where you were headed, but chose to follow Rick, relying on him to guide your group to the source of the disruption.

Rick nudged an office door marked 'Mayor' open with the barrel of his gun, allowing the motion to reveal all that was behind it. Sitting behind the desk, a Gromflomite was held upright as a Cronenberg drew it's body into it's writhing flesh. Both screamed in a discordant harmony as one was consumed and the other triumphed. 

Bile gathered in the back of your throat as flesh shifted to take you all in, eyes moving disjointedly to observe the new threat. Rick was the first to fire, quickly removing the monster from existence.

“W-Well, that takes care of...of that,” Rick declared, pulling a silver flash from his coat pocket. He took a deep pull, moving around the office to sift through the remains of his victim, “now...now we just gotta get the Cronenbergs back to their dimension.”

You gaped at the nonchalant man, baffled by his impassive approach to having dismantled an entire government occupation.

“Did you bring the Portal ammunition?” Morty replied, further increasing your confusion. You had just watched the two of them, and yourself, literally overthrow a federal facility, and they were ready to move along without any comment?

“Do...do you guys do this often?” You stammered, disbelief clear on your face as you looked between the two of them. 

“Yes,” Morty stated, at the same time as Rick replied with a 'no'. A terse moment of disagreement transpired between the two, before Rick conceded, shaking his head with annoyance.

“W-Whatever, I'm going to go send the Cronenbergs back. Stay he-heeere.” Rick instructed, slipping back through the door and into the chaos outside.

You settled into the room, leaning against the edge of the desk while Morty closed the door and stationed himself beside it; you both were silent, the events of the day leaving you both in a sullen mood.

“Won't the Federation just send another armada to reinstate control of my town?” You asked hesitantly, unable to meet your companion's eyes as you spoke.

“They'll probably try,” He began, looking down at his feet, “but Grandpa Rick is going to install a cloaking device for your city; no matter how hard the Federation looks, they shouldn't be able to find this place.”

He finally glanced up, a small smile on his lips as his tone became reassuring, “And then you'll be able to pretend you never met us. Y-You can come home.”


	12. Should I Stay or Should I Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rick has agreed to help put your town back together, but that only leaves you two days to sort out everything going on inside of you. When Morty decides to leave you and Rick alone, it becomes apparent that your emotions won't be ignored anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this took an eternity and a half, thanks to my _excellent_ internet provider. I sincerely apologize for the wait time, and regret to say that this will probably be the only chapter for today. I'll resume One a Day starting tomorrow, as per the usual schedule, I just need to finish some housework up today and spend some time with my little one. I hope you guys don't mind!
> 
> Also, I finally made an outline (so that I don't forget stuff), and I've got three more chapters planned for this, though it may become more or less, depending entirely on how I go about writing them.

Waiting for Rick to return to the town hall left you with far too much time to think; Morty was in his own world, frequently leaving the office to go and patrol the corridor right outside. Left to your own devices, your thoughts began to drift to the promise if you finally being able to return home.

You thought back on the life you had before Rick and Morty had shown up; it was a comforting life, one without many surprises and without unnecessary complications. You couldn't help the feeling of relief at being able to look forward to days of no adventures, and no killing. 

However, as time passed with Morty coming and going, you realized that there was one thing you hadn't considered about returning to your life; while it would be a relief at first, you knew you'd eventually return to your feelings of dissatisfaction. You thought back on the way you had been feeling just before Rick and Morty had blown your reality into pieces; you had been trying to content your life with the mundane activities of a small town photographer, convincing yourself that you hadn't wanted more from your life.

The harder you looked at your life, the more you realized that you were closer now to your dreams than you had ever been before. Biting your lip softly, you were forced to consider the reality of you returning to the life that you had simply...outgrown in the past few days.

You were still struggling with those thoughts when Rick returned, sauntering into the office as though he hadn't just been portaling mutants from one dimension to another, “Man, it-it's a mess out there. This place is gonna, gonna need a real clean up before it's proper again.” He explained, jamming his thumb back towards the exit.

You looked up at him, releasing your lip from your teeth as he brushed cinders from the Mayor's chair, and sat down, “Are there even people left to clean it up? I didn't see anyone that wasn't Federation on our way here.”

“T-There are people, they're just h-hiding out on the edge of town,” He began, gulping from his flask again, “they probably wo-eeerp-won't come back for a few days.” His words were beginning to slur, and you wondered if he had been drinking the entire time he had been gone.

“Then who is going to set this place straight, Rick?” Morty argued, his anger flaring as he realized that Rick was trying to leave things in ruin. The man in question glared at his grandson for a few moments, before letting out a long groan.

“F-Fine, I guess I'll do it,” He relented, sagging in the chair with a child-like pout, “n-not gonna do it well, though.” Despite Rick's behavior, Morty smiled softly, glancing your way for just a moment.

“The city – errrp – city center is deserted. It'll take about...about two days to clean up the worst of the damage,” Rick pointed out, standing from the chair to peer out the large window over looking the town, “m-most of the Cronenbergs went into hiding, so we'll...we'll have to go get them.”

Morty shifted slightly, drawing his grandfather's attention, “Rick, I can't stay here for that long, mom will freak out if I miss anymore school,” he explained.

Rick shot a portal onto the adjacent wall, barely moving with the action. He fluttered a hand in the direction of it, effectively directing Morty to take his leave, “Bye.”

As Morty made his way towards the portal, he subtly turned to look at you, giving you a wink before he disappeared through the vortex; you could feel the blush attempting to gather, but fought it back. With the younger Smith gone, the room grew silent while Rick continued to stand at the window; with his back turned to you, you took a moment to really look at him.

He stood with a straight back and the confidence of someone capable of adjusting to nearly any possible change; his lab coat was stained with ash and brackish blood, memories of the day you've had etched in the stark white fabric. As your thoughts drifted through the events of the day, Rick turned to face you, eyeing you carefully before he smirked.

“S-Stop staring at my ass, and let's go find some mutants!” He barked sarcastically, startling you from your reflection. You opened your mouth to protest his accusation, but he merely waved his hand as he walked past you towards the door, “Ah, ah, don't deny it, I saw you checkin' me out.”

You huffed as you rolled your eyes, following him, “Whatever you say, Rick.” He laughed, taking a drink from his flask as you both exited the town hall. The world outside was nearly silent now, the previous battles seeming to have taken all the ambiance with them as they ended; all that remained was the dull roar of various fires still burning and the crackling of their flames.

“What are we going to do about the fires?” You questioned quietly, hesitant to break the heavy stillness.

“N-nothing. They've been bur-errp-burning too long for anything to b-be worth salvaging,” Rick replied in a bored tone, dragging the tip of his shoe through ashes to investigate the debris beneath. His pause was short, resuming his stride after mere seconds; he seemed to be scanning the environment in quick succession.

You followed behind him, your pistol held loosely at your side while you looked over the remains of the battle against the Federation. Bodies were strewn about, scattered among collections of ash that proved to be the only trace of the Cronenbergs. You refused to let your eyes linger on the dead for too long, skirting along them until you came to a realization; you and Rick would have to get rid of the bodies.

When you brought this to your partner's attention, he quickly summoned a portal beneath a Gromflomite corpse, causing it to drop through to a different dimension; when the portal disappeared, only a dark smear of blood remained. You marveled at the many uses of portal technology for a moment, before turning your gaze back to Rick.

“This shouldn't take long at all, should it?”

“T-Two days tops,” He answered while transporting another body from your world. His tone became serious, unflinching as he shifted more and more creatures from this dimension, “Then we can get on with our lives. P-Pretend this never happened.”

Your heart thudded with hurt at his words; he was clearly ready to be done with all that came of your world, including yourself. You tried to brace yourself against your surging emotions of indecision and fondness for a man that had none for you. Despite your best efforts, you heard a quiet whimper escape your mouth.

Rick had caught it as well, and turned towards you. He was frowning again, though something in his eyes betrayed him and exposed some unknown, well hidden emotion. “Don't worry, princess, w-we won't be coming back after this. You can, you can live out your little alien life without the big, bad Rick and M-Morty wrecking things.”

You gasped against the assault of your hurt, stepping back from the scientist. He had made it clear that he was under the impression that you were desperate to be free of his influence, while you were shuttering with the realization of the opposite being true.

“I'm not trying to get away from you or Morty, Rick,” You whispered, your voice trembling, “I'm not even sure if I want to, anymore.”

A tender expression flashed across his face for just a moment, before he leveled a glare in your direction, “Then I guess y-you're dumber than I expected, huh?”

Your own anger flared to meet his, and you found yourself spitting venom before you thought, “You know Rick, not everyone is a waste of your time just because they aren't as smart as you!”

He advanced on you in a slow, calculated manner, his glare becoming more intense, “Wrong, sweetie, EVERYONE i-is a waste of my time BECAUSE they aren't as smart as me.”

The two of you glowered at each other for a long moment, before you finally relented and looked away, not intimidated but frustrated beyond words. Rick straightened up, radiating pompous triumph. Despite your desire to fight with the man further, you remained silent when he returned to the task of removing bodies.

The rest of the night was spent in furious silence, the two of you working carefully to remove the corpses from your town; by the time you returned to the city hall, you both went to separate offices, the words left unsaid driving you away from Rick.


	13. Waking Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A calm has broken, and you're letting go; can Rick do the same?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is accompanied by the song ["We Won't Leave You" by Steve Void](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cx_ObtePD78) and has [fanart!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12147051)
> 
> Okay, so...I am INCREDIBLY proud of this chapter. I really, really hope that you all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'm extremely glad that I chose to take the extra time for these last chapters, because they're going to be as beautiful as I can possibly make them. That being said, I think that this one is a reflection of the amount of love I have for this story, and I think it's a good promise of what's to come.

The next morning was spent in much the same way as the night before; Rick feverishly went about removing more corpses while you drew Cronenbergs from their various hiding spots. Your anger and indecision from the day prior were still active and resting near the surface, leaving you to quietly stew with both while you worked hours away.

By midday, the city seemed to be free of both living and dead inhabitants, beside yourself and the scientist. As the last body dropped through a portal, Rick rolled his shoulders and turned to you, “T-That's done. All that's left now is...is cloaking the city.” Without waiting for a reply, he made his way back towards the city hall, and you followed.

Walking back, you could feel your emotional turmoil building, twisting in your gut as you and Rick came closer, and closer to going separate ways permanently. You wrestled with the feelings, arguing with yourself that there was nothing left to be confused about; the man had already made his feelings clear. But your heart was having none of it, and continued to wage war on your mind and your conscience.

So consumed were you by your own internal battles, you had followed behind Rick blindly, subconsciously worrying your lip, and taking your stride cues from him. Your attention only returned when he snapped his fingers before your face repeatedly, “Hey! S-Stop daydreaming and pay attention!” He barked, before pointing towards the top of the city hall. Atop the building sat a rather large transmission tower, attached at the base to the roof, “We're going up there, s-so don't space out and fall to your death. I'm not -errrrp- not cleaning up any more bodies!”

“Don't worry, Rick, I may not be as smart as you, but I'm not _that_ incompetent,” You returned, receiving only a challenging look as reply, “Just lead on, Smartest Man in the Universe, the Federation won't wait for you to get your shit together.” You pushed your way past him towards the building, mentally patting yourself on the back.

For the first time since you'd met him, Rick followed you without any complaint, though you were certain that he rationalized it to himself as him allowing you to lead him. Regardless of how it was received, you both made quick progress through the hall, passing through doorways that lead to the less-visited parts of the building. 

You weren't all that familiar with the town hall, you had to admit to yourself; you had only been there on rare occasions during your life. But you were determined to find the roof access without Rick's help, and made a few educated guesses as to where the entry would be located. Asking yourself where you would choose to keep a thing like that, you made a bee-line for the maintenance room. 

You pushed the door open carefully at first, peering into the darkness, but thrust it open with a bang as light fell on a disused stairwell tucked into a corner. Pride for yourself swelled in your chest as you glanced back towards Rick, your cheeks aching with the grin you were giving him.

You scurried through, bounding up the stairs, and caught just a glimpse of entertainment on the old man's face; he seemed to share your enthusiasm as he followed behind you. You burst onto the roof, sending the door flying on it's hinges as your heart pounded with excitement. 

Once Rick reached the landing, he started towards the antenna, momentarily placing a hand on your shoulder in gratitude. You stood back as he began pulling things from his lab coat, assembling what would soon become the cloaking mechanism for your city, prepared to let the man work in peace.

Leaving him to complete his task, you turned away, using the high vantage point to look over the city you had called home. Despite the fact that a war had basically being waged there, the view was largely intact; the fires had burnt themselves out over night, and only a few were blackened beyond recognition. 

An expanse of lilac sky gave way to a riotous display of color as the sun set, painting the horizon and all of the buildings in a milky gray tone. Battered by the stronger wind on top of the building, you closed your eyes against the sights, letting your mind stretch and shift away from the negative thoughts that had plagued you before. 

You spun slowly on your heel, facing Rick's back once more, a serene smile gracing your face as you watched him work. Happiness and warmth filled your limbs once again as you looked at the man crouched before the antenna; you knew that there were a lot of things to still be hurt by, and a lot of things to be angry about, but as you watched him, they were all forgotten, only a sudden feeling of gratitude remaining.

“Rick,” You began softly, tucking your hands behind your back as he turned to acknowledge you. His brow lifted as he took in the sight of you standing haloed in dying light, a look of peace on your face and a smile displayed for him, “I want to thank you...for helping make my home, well, home again.”

He narrowed his eyes in suspicion as he leaned away, one hand still busy with the cloaking device; with a small click, an electronic grid flashed across the entire sky, “I-It's nothing, if they had stayed here, th-they would have come for me eventually,” he muttered, watching you as though you were a threat, “Just, just gotta cover my tracks.”

You expected there to be some pain accompanied by his words, but your face didn't fall; you continued to smile gently at the man. While the sky above pulsed with the grid, you reached out to offer him your hand; he took it cautiously, and you helped him stand, guiding him towards the edge of the building to overlook the town.

You both were silent as the sun set, stealing all the color from the sky save for the flashes of neon green from the cloak. You could feel Rick growing impatient, plucking his flask from his coat to take a swig; as he tucked it away, the wind picked up.

“W-Well, that's just about it,” He pointed out, clearly bored with standing around, “I'll stay to make sure the cloak functions over night, but then you're-eeerp, you're home free.”

Suddenly your chest constricted, a strangling feeling invading you and you breathed slowly through your teeth. You clenched your fingers, screwing your eyes shut as you fought against the relentless anxiety that now replaced your peace and serenity.

“I-I wasn't asleep that night, Rick,” You blurted out, your voice sounding just as stressed as you felt. You didn't have to see him to feel his confusion and slight panic arise, “the night when you began planning all of this. I wasn't asleep.”

You did open your eyes then, glancing at him from the corner of your eye to see him staring at the horizon, a frown masking his face, “Y-Yeah? Well, it doesn't mean anything. I'm reasonable enough to know when to, to fix my messes.”

You turned your body to face him, finally giving him your full attention; his eyes briefly met yours as you did, then returned to the horizon. You took a small, hesitant step towards him, your hands tucked securely at your waist as you angled your body to meet his eyes again, “If you hadn't taken my prisoner when you left here, would you have even bothered with coming back to remove the Federation?” You asked softly, watching him carefully as you took another step forward. He didn't flinch, or make any move to stop you, only broke the eye contact as he drank from his flask again.

“Does -eeeerp- does it really matter?” He belched, not looking at you even when you were close enough to brush against his side. As you reached out to touch his arm gently, his hand came up in a flash, holding your wrist away from him loosely.

You stared at his hand around your wrist, considering his question; did it really matter whether or not he had come back for you? Did it matter if his intentions were selfish or not? Lifting your eyes to study the profile of his face, you answered, “No, not really.” _All that really matters is that you did come back. And I'm glad you did._

His frown changed to a small smirk then, and he released your wrist to turn away from you and head back towards the stairwell into the building. “You know, if you keep, keep giving me the 'kiss me' eyes, you're gonna end up getting more than y-you bargained for,” he called back as he stepped off of the roof onto the stairs.

You felt heat rush into your cheeks as you laughed, enjoying the night air whipping across the roof for a moment before you turned to trail after him. As you followed him down the steps, you felt significantly lighter, and didn't feel worry plaguing your mind at all.

That lightness motivated you to rush past Rick, a gentle hand moving to shove him back in a playful manner. As you did, you gave him a blinding smile, “Come on, old man, I have something I want to show you.” His flabbergasted expression pried a joyous laugh from you, before you wove your way out of the city hall.

~~~

With Twilight following you and your partner through to the edge of town, you kept glancing back to ensure that Rick wasn't falling behind; true to your previous discovery, he kept time with you, staying with your stride. Your quick smiling glances were repeatedly met with his equally suspicious entertainment.

You came to a stop just after passing the last building in sight for miles, with only a vast field of tall grass stretching out in three directions. As Rick came to stand beside you, you couldn't resist; you reached out and excitedly took his hand in yours. His expression became even more suspicious, though he didn't pull away; his fingers remained limp in your hand while you gestured to the field.

“W-What? You wanted to show me...show me grass?” He scoffed, and you slapped his shoulder. Again, you gestured to the field, and encouraged him to keep his eyes on it while the sky grew darker and darker.

“Just wait, Rick. You may have seen a lot of things, but I doubt you've seen this,” You whispered, just as the last lights of twilight were swallowed up in black sky.

At that moment, the grass began to shift, thrashing wildly while you alternated between watching it and your partner. Rick looked visibly alarmed, his hand reaching for his laser pistol; as soon as his fingers touched the gun, however, he stopped, his expression flickering to disbelief.

Slowly, as the grass parted, glowing flowers emerged, each petal a bioluminescent blue beneath the sky; they continued to emerge throughout the entire field, miles upon miles of blooms reaching for the stars that were just becoming visible. Even now, after you had seen this same spectacle a handful of times in your life time, you felt it steal your breath away, leaving you clutching Rick's hand.

“H-Holy shit,” He whispered, causing you to laugh airily; his fingers were tightly wound around yours now, your hold finally returned in his wonder. You turned your eyes on him, focusing on him for just a moment. 

His face was lit up by the nocturnal flowers, revealing a beautiful expression of pure amazement. His lips were slightly parted, as if he were planning to speak, but made no sound as he took in the alien sights. You squeezed his hand gently, “Beautiful, isn't it? They're called Dormant Croxis.”

The blooms continued to creep out from beneath the grass, hundreds of them raising to join the fray as moments passed. Rick kept his eyes on the event, until you gently told him to look down. You could see the fascination swell in him again as he discovered that many of the flowers had emerged around your feet while he was enraptured by the grand display.

“I-I...I've never seen anything -hurg- anything like this,” He hiccuped, subconsciously pulling you closer to himself to watch flowers spring up from where you had been standing.

The tightness was in your chest again as his body heat misted across your skin, leaving you with goose-flesh at his closeness; your shoulder just barely brushed his as you stood at his side.

Watching an entire world of hidden beauty unfurl around you, you felt fresh tears prick your eyes as you realized one thing; you reached up, and wiped them away.

“T-Thank you,” Rick breathed.

_This is where I belong. Not Arestis, but wherever he is._


	14. The Reasons Why

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No summary for this one. It's a surprise.

_This part is accompanied by[this song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNRVvU4r0gs)_

A few hours had passed while you and Rick sat among the blooms, watching as the display expanded upon itself every moment; finally, the two of you seemed to be able to enjoy something together without the burden of talking. With the flask passing casually between you both, you watched as Rick became more and more comfortable, his armor melting away with the drink. He had settled back into a recline in the grass, his eyes lightly closed while he listened to the sounds of your world come alive.

You sat cross-legged beside him, leaning back onto your hands; you were close enough for your knee to rest on his side. As you focused your gaze on the sky above, questions began to burn in the back of your mind. You had thought over all the things you knew about Rick, and you had realized that you didn't really know much; you knew his personality, but not the details of who he was.

Lowering your voice so as to not startle your partner, you spoke, “Rick, what is your happiest memory?”

Without opening his eyes, his expression shifted to a frown, his brow furrowing in a grimace, as though he were in pain, “W-When Morty was a baby, he, he came to me, and wanted to be held. I picked him up, and he just looked so -eerp- so happy,” He paused for a moment, seeming to consider his next words, “it was probably the most simple moment, b-but it made me happy.”

You studied his face as he spoke, pulling yourself up to rest your head on your knees; his expression held so many emotions, filled to the brim with regret, pain, and a bittersweet contentment. You were struck then by the level of complexity the man contained.

“Why do you look so sad when you remember that?” 

He cracked his eyes then, staring blankly at the sky while he gulped from the flask again, “Because nothing will ever be as simple, as complete as h-holding baby Morty, ever again. L-Life is too, too convoluted to let moments like that repeat.”

You looked away from him, considering his words as you looked out over the field of flowers; his certainty about the topic gave you pause and made your heart ache in a way you'd not experienced before. Laying your hand in the grass and letting the ground steady you, you asked the question nagging at you.

“What about moments like this?” You appealed, gesturing to world around the two of you as reference.

Rick sat up, holding the flask partially to his mouth as he took in the view around him, before he met your eyes, “What about moments like, like this?”

You held his stare, returning it with a subdued expression, “I don't know about you, Rick, but moments like this, while rare, are the purpose for everything. I think nights like tonight are the best part of being alive,” you paused, breaking eye contact, “and I'm glad that I had you to share it with.”

With a glance back to him, you saw his face had become serious, nearly creased with concern as he started at you; you quickly looked away again.

“I don't...I don't get it. Why are y-you so, so...” He trailed off briefly, before continuing, “why me?”

You felt a knot form in your throat as your mind raced; you didn't know how to answer that question, you weren't even sure if you could. Your heart beat triple time and you felt your face flush in response. You could feel Rick still watching you, his eyes searing your skin.

“Is it a b-bad boy thing? An age thing?” His questions were coming faster now, drilling into you, “Surely you can do better than, than a grandpa. Honestly, what -eerp- what makes you look at me and think that I-I'm good boyfriend material?” As he spoke, his tone became frantic and aggressive, making your pulse pound harder, and your mind cloud, “I-I don't even believe in relationships! Why would you, why would you even consider me a good ch-choice?!”

Tears sprung into your eyes, you fisted your hands in the grass as hot trails streaked down your face, and you snapped, “I don't know, Rick.”

“Bullshit.” Suddenly his hands were gripping your shoulders, shaking you once to draw your eyes to him; he looked a combination of angry, concerned, and urgent, his hands trembling as his fingers grasped you, “Tell me what this is for you, b-because I just can't understand why you would- would want this for yourself.”

You let out a shuttering gasp as you looked up at him, your sobs shaking your entire body, “I don't know! All I know is that in the short amount of time I've been with you, I've been closer to my dreams than I ever have been before!” A wet hiccup interrupted you for a moment, “When I'm with you, I feel alive, and I don't want that to end! I'm not sure I even want to stay on Arestis!”

You slapped your hand over your mouth, horrified by the words you had spat out in a rush; Rick stared at you, his anger transforming into shock. As another wave of sobs hit you, you reached out an took hold of his coat's lapels, ducking your head to hide your face from view.

“I want to stay with you, Rick, and keep experiencing everything the Universe has in store for me; I can't...I can't go back to being content with a mediocre life.”

In an uncharacteristic show of tenderness, he lifted your chin, making you meet his eyes. As he studied your tear-streaked face, his concern grew, creasing his forehead with a worry line.

“You're a mess, and you have no i-idea what you're asking for,” he commented softly.

You had your lips parted to reply, to agree, when he rocked forward and his lips crashed into yours. With your hands pinned between your bodies, he pushed you back into the grass, his hands moving to brace himself above you; he continued to kiss you feverishly.

The kiss was not tame as one would expect; Rick kissed you as though he were trying to set you ablaze, his lips capturing yours repeatedly and smothering them. You returned his passion, giving as well as you took, wrinkling his coat in your fingers as you tugged him closer.

You had kissed your fair share of people before kissing Rick, had even gone a bit further in your life time; but no kiss compared to his. His mouth was greedy, always taking more, and aggressive, dominating your attempts to match his efforts. 

By the time he broke away to dip his face into your shoulder, your tears had dried, and you were breathless; your skin was flushed. He rested his head in the crook of your shoulder, his breath ghosting along the sensitive skin there as he took the time to reign himself in.

After a moment, he rolled himself off of you, leaving you with a chill before he pulled you against his side just as he had the night you had woken him; this time his arms encircled you tightly, gripping you close to him as he lay on his side.

Nestled together in the grass with only the sounds of the night to interrupt the silence, neither of you spoke; instead, you found yourself drifting to sleep. As you crept closer to oblivion, you thought to yourself that Rick had been wrong; Life had just given you many perfect moments in a row.

~~~

_This part is accompanied by[this song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vkqgeqshKw)_

Dawn was just breaking, casting violet over your languid body; you stretched lazily as the light seeped into your skin. You sighed deeply, letting individual blades of grass tickle your arms and legs. You rubbed your hands together, trying to warm your fingers against the chill a night spent outside. Rolling over, you reached out press yourself close to Rick's warmth.

After a moment of sleepily searching, you stilled, and opened your eyes.

Rick was gone.

As panic filled your bones, you jumped up, looking around the immediate area. There was no sign of him. You pressed your palm to the ground where he had lain the night before; the soil was devoid of warmth, he had been gone for a while. You turned in circles, screaming his name as you searched for even the smallest hint that he hadn't done what you thought.

You started running, bolting through the town as you sought out the Town Hall; maybe he was there, checking on the cloaking device. 

At first you thought the pounding in your head was the echoes of your footsteps; after a moment, you realized it was your heart, thundering in your ears.

You flew through the Town Hall without paying attention to the rooms that stood between you and the roof. _Let him be here. Please, please, let him be here._ You pleaded in your mind.

The door to the roof crashed open as you stumbled through, your eyes scanning for blue hair, a white coat, and a smirk; you knew he would laugh when he saw you so upset at the thought of him being gone, but you didn't care.

The wind whipped your clothes against your skin as you realized that he wasn't there; the cloaking device remained, but Rick did not. Before you could understand what was going on, the tears began, and your knees buckled beneath you.

Sitting on the roof of the building, with your heart screaming and your sobs being stolen by the wind, you admitted to yourself the one thing you had hoped you never would.

_Rick's gone. He left me._

You curled in on yourself, pressing your hot face against the cool tiles of the roof as the sounds of sorrow and betrayal were torn from your body.

_And there's no way to ever find him again._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to go, guys!
> 
> The last one is going to be different, in a lot of wonderful ways, and it may be shorter than the past two, but you'll understand it all when it's posted.


	15. Bits and Pieces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Like hell I'm giving a summary for the last chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, the final chapter. I said it would be shorter, and different. And believe me, it is. But I also think it's exactly what it needs to be. I hope you enjoy it. 
> 
> **ALSO MAKE SURE TO CHECK THE NOTES AT THE END, THEY ARE VITAL TO YOUR HAPPINESS.**

_This chapter is accompanied by[this song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsLMoxa6xZ0)._

Rick stumbled as he emerged from the portal, quickly closing it without looking back; with the offending entrance gone, he tossed his portal gun onto his workbench, leaving the garage in a staggering hurry.

_What the fuck have you done?_

His long strides carried him to his proper bedroom in the Smith's house, where he gathered two large bottles of vodka in his arms; as he turned to retreat to his workspace, he found Morty standing in the door way. “Where is she, Rick?” He asked, looking concerned and slightly panicked as he shifted to look for her behind his grandfather.

“She's, she's where she be-belongs, her home, Morty,” Rick mumbled, twisting the cap from one of the bottles and taking a deep pull from it. The alcohol barely burned any more.

Morty seemed to tense up, puffing his chest as his eyes began to glisten with angry tears, “R-Really, Rick?” he spat, “You just, you-you...you just let her go like that?”

Looking entirely detached, his grandfather shoved past him, lumbering towards the garage, “What did you want, want me to do -erp-, steal her from h-her home again?”

Morty didn't follow after, remaining outside of the bedroom door as he watched his drunken grandfather leave, “No, no, I just...I just wanted you to do something other than this.”

Once in the garage, Rick closed and locked the adjoining door, then did the same with the large overhead door in the front; he sat one bottle on his workbench, then stood staring at the hatch to the underground bunker.

The alcohol was beginning to seep into his bloodstream, making him clumsy as he descended into the chamber where _she_ had stayed. He swayed while he stood among her things, his unfocused eyes lingering on the cot.

_How many times did she...did she cry here, because of me?_

He drank from his bottle desperately, glaring silently at the makeshift bed.

_You couldn't even give her something better than a flimsy cot._

The bed slammed into the wall as he upended it, splitting the frame into multiple pieces. Odds and ends from the tables bordering the walls were swept to the side as Rick lashed out.

_You never deserved to even touch her. You're a toxin, something that eats everything that comes in contact with you._

The emotional turmoil building inside of him was not yet spent when the last of the clutter was smashed. His mind continued to torment him with the memories of the things he had done to not only her, but to everyone he'd ever cared about. Flashes of all his crimes filled him; bits of Morty, Beth, Summer, Birdperson, Squanchy, and finally of the one he tried not to think of most.

Memories of Unity filled his mind, giving him a moment of peace before they soured, replaced by the words she'd said that had become a mantra for his darkest moments.

_You can't change._

Growing more delirious as he continued to drink, he returned to the garage, with more destruction in mind to sate his internal struggle.

_No matter what you do, no matter where you go, you will **always** destroy things. You are what you have always been. Poison._

Beakers shattered against concrete, spilling phosphorescent liquids across the room; electronic parts were quickly added to the disarray. With every taunting thought, Rick demolished something new, the wreckage feeding his rage.

Finally, in a grand moment of peak rage, he opened the history of his portal gun, his hands trembling as he hovered over the coordinates of her planet. Even now, as his own self-loathing permeated his body and mind, he paused.

_If I do this, I can never go back. I can never see her again._

Behind the locked doors of the garage, away from prying eyes and witnesses to his vulnerability, he did one thing he swore he would never do for a woman; tears lightly misted his eyes, and he bit back the need to cry.

He closed his eyes against the weak feelings he was experiencing, willing himself to suck it up; the portal gun clattered onto the table as he tossed it away.

_How selfish can you be, Rick? You are literally the closest thing to a god in all timelines and dimensions, but you can't let one person go untouched? You're a fucking cancer, and just this once, you have an opportunity to do the right thing. Are you really going to let your own ego destroy yet another life?_

Fury overcame him, sending his hands sprawling in search of something substantial to destroy; his fingers found the disused Cognition Amplifying helmet, and he hurled it against the floor. As fragments of technology went skittering across the floor, he experienced a clarity he had not yet reached.

Steeling himself against his next actions, he snatched up the portal gun, and quickly erased the string of numbers that signified his last attachment to her. With the location lost to the ether, he sagged against his workbench, the last dregs of the vodka pouring down his throat. 

He grabbed the remaining full bottle, and retreated from the area of his destruction, his mind clouding with intoxication. Closing the door, he shot out one last thought of the alien girl, leaving the silent words to dissipate without him.

_Forget about me. Because I'm about to make sure I forget about you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There it is. I cried while I wrote it, I hope you cried while you read it, and I hope I've captured the proper emotional distress that I intended to inflict on you.
> 
> **Now then, the big news: I'm going to take a few days off, to just enjoy a little bit of whatever, and then....I'm writing the sequel.**


End file.
